Cody Ross to lose playing time in crowded outfield

Diamondbacks left fielder Cody Ross (7) grimaces after called out on strikes in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

Diamondbacks outfielder Cody Ross considers himself a realist. He sees that Arizona's outfield is crowded and he may be the odd man out when it comes to playing time despite being in the lineup Saturday in right field.

The Diamondbacks have to find at-bats for a healthy Mark Trumbo and for breakout rookie David Peralta. Fellow rookie Ender Inciarte is the only true centerfielder on the team, and the Diamondbacks have always been loath to remove Gerardo Parra from right, where he earned a Gold Glove last year.

"I had a meeting with (manager Kirk Gibson) about it awhile back, even before Mark came back," Ross said. "He basically told me that I was going to see my playing time drop. All I told Gibby was, 'I wish I could argue and tell you you're wrong, but I don't have anything to back it up right now because I'm not swinging the bat well.' "

Ross has struggled to find his stroke since returning from hip surgery earlier this season and, like Saturday any future playing time may come against lefty starters. Ross is a career .295 hitter against lefties, but hits just .248 against righties.

He had a single Saturday but left the game in the third with tightness in his left calf. After the game, Gibson said it "seemed like he's going to be OK."

At any rate, Gibson also thinks less playing time could ultimately do Ross some good.

"I think if I push him really hard we've seen that, that doesn't serve him well right now," Gibson said. "But he is swinging the bat much better. I think as we get further away from his injury you'll have a better idea what he can do. He is a veteran guy, so I see him as a pretty good bat off the bench against a left-hander or a right-hander."

The team's four other outfielders all seem to be in the mix for more regular playing time. Trumbo needs the at-bats since missing 2½ months with a stress fracture in his foot, and the team has been sorely lacking the power his bat can provide. Peralta has been a revelation since being called up from Double-A Mobile on June 1, and his .326 average is third among rookies in that span.

Parra and Inciarte don't provide that kind of offensive punch — Parra's .253 average would be the worst of his career over a full season — but are plus defenders. Until A.J. Pollock returns, only Inciarte can be counted upon to make impact plays in center, snagging a line drive as a defensive replacement in Friday's win and making a leaping catch at the wall in the first inning on Saturday.

Gibson has played Peralta in center at times to get as much firepower in the lineup as possible, but Peralta is less than a natural fit for the position, especially since he's only been a position player for a couple years.

"I'd prefer to have him on the corner," Gibson said. "I think he's better on the corner than he is in center field."

Such shuffling has the potential to cause problems on any team. The Diamondbacks have four outfielders whose skills demand they get regular playing time and, with Ross due $8.5 million salary both this year and next, a fifth who is paid like a starter.

But Ross has made a lot of stops in his 11-year career — the Diamondbacks are his seventh team — and has had to prove he's worthy of being on the field for each club. He's seen clubhouses crack over playing-time issues but insists the Diamondbacks won't be one of them.

"The main thing is trying to keep guys happy," he said. "I've been around a lot of clubhouses where guys feel like that they should play more and it becomes a cancer. But that's not the situation here. Everybody's pulling from the same rope and we understand the way the game works."

Notable: In his last start, Collmenter gave up one run in seven innings on July 9 against the Marlins. He has a 2.96 ERA in his past 24 1/3 innings. Collmenter has pitched against the Cubs five times (two starts), posting a 1.26 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. … Arrieta appears to be reaching the potential he was said to possess when he was a top prospect with the Orioles five years ago. He's had success by throwing more strikes; he has cut his walk rate from 4.0 per nine innings prior to this season to 2.5.